Surah At-Tawbah (The Repentance): Verse 117

لقد تاب الله على النبي والمهاجرين والأنصار الذين اتبعوه في ساعة العسرة من بعد ما كاد يزيغ قلوب فريق منهم ثم تاب عليهم إنه بهم رؤوف رحيم

Translation: Allah has certainly turned to the Prophet, the Emigrants (Muhajirun), and the Helpers (Ansar) who followed him in the Hour of Hardship (Ghazwat Tabuk), after the hearts of a party of them had almost swerved. Then He turned to them [again] in forgiveness, for indeed, He is to them Kind, Merciful.

After extensively detailing the events of the Battle of Tabuk and the situation of those who held back, the Almighty now returns to explain the remaining rulings related to this expedition. Among these rulings is the fact that a minor lapse, akin to leaving the superior course of action, occurred on the part of the Messenger (PBUH), and a lapse also occurred among the believers. Therefore, the Almighty mentions that He favored them and turned to them in forgiveness regarding those lapses.

Issues within the Verse:

Issue 1: Why mention repentance when the expedition was so arduous?

The reports indicate that this journey was extremely difficult for the Prophet (PBUH) and the believers. This difficulty warrants praise, so how is it appropriate to follow it with the statement: "Allah has certainly turned to the Prophet, the Emigrants, and the Helpers"?

Answers (Four Points):

1. Leaving the Superior Action: Something occurred from the Prophet (PBUH) that falls under leaving the better option, as alluded to in the verse: "May Allah pardon you! Why did you give them permission?" (At-Tawbah: 43). Furthermore, because the situation became severe for the believers during this expedition, some negative thoughts or aversion to the journey might have entered their hearts, perhaps even thoughts of being unable to flee. I do not claim they resolved to flee, but rather that such whispers crossed their minds. Allah clarifies at the end of this Surah that He pardoned these lapses out of His grace. Hence, He said: "Allah has certainly turned to the Prophet, the Emigrants, and the Helpers who followed him."

2. Lapses Throughout Life: A person, throughout their long life, cannot be free from slips and errors, either minor sins or leaving a superior action. Since the Prophet (PBUH) and the believers endured the hardships and tribulations of this journey and remained patient, Allah informed them that enduring these hardships served as expiation for all the lapses they committed throughout their lives, standing in the place of repentance coupled with sincere intention for all of them. This is why the Almighty said: "Allah has certainly turned to the Prophet..."

3. Repentance Due to Whispers: As the situation became severe during that journey, whispers entered their hearts. Whenever a whisper occurred in the heart of one of them, he repented to Allah for it and supplicated for its removal from his heart. Due to their frequent turning to repentance because of these fleeting thoughts, the Almighty said: "Allah has certainly turned to the Prophet..."

4. Pardon for Sins Due to Hardship: It is not unlikely that various types of disobedience occurred from those people. However, the Almighty turned to them in forgiveness because they endured the hardships of that journey. Then, the Almighty joined the mention of the Prophet (PBUH) with their mention to indicate their high status in religion—they reached a degree where the Prophet (PBUH) was joined with them in the acceptance of repentance.

Issue 2: The Meaning of Sā'at al-'Usrah (The Hour of Hardship)

There are two opinions regarding the meaning of Sā'at al-'Usrah:

Opinion 1: Specific to the Battle of Tabuk It is specific to the expedition of Tabuk, meaning the time when matters became extremely difficult for them during that journey. 'Usrah (hardship) means the difficulty and severity of the situation. Jabir reported that they experienced hardship concerning transport (dhahr), water, and provisions (zād).

• Hardship of Transport: Al-Hasan said that ten Muslims would share one camel, taking turns riding it.
• Hardship of Provisions: Sometimes a group would share a single date, passing it around until nothing remained but the pit. They also had some spoiled barley; if one of them put a morsel in his mouth, he would hold his nose due to the stench.
• Hardship of Water: 'Umar said: "We went out in intense heat and suffered severe thirst, to the extent that a man would slaughter his camel and squeeze its dung to drink it."

This expedition is known as the Expedition of Hardship (Ghazwat al-'Usrah), and those who participated are the Army of Hardship (Jaysh al-'Usrah). 'Uthman and others among the Companions prepared them (financially).

Opinion 2: General Hardships Abu Muslim suggested that Sā'at al-'Usrah might refer to all severe situations and times faced by the Prophet (PBUH) and the believers, including the Battle of the Trench (Ghazwat al-Khandaq) and others. Allah mentioned some of these in His Book, such as: "When your eyes grew wild and your hearts reached the throats..." (Al-Ahzab: 10) and: "Allah had certainly fulfilled His promise to you when you were slaying them by His permission, until you lost heart..." (Al 'Imran: 152). The purpose here is to describe the Emigrants and Helpers as those who followed the Messenger (PBUH) during difficult times and severe circumstances, which conveys the utmost praise and glorification.

Regarding the phrase: {من بعد ما كاد يزيغ قلوب فريق منهم} (after the hearts of a party of them had almost swerved):

First Inquiry (The Subject of Kāda): The subject of the verb kāda (almost) could be hearts (qulūb), meaning: "The hearts of a party of them almost swerved." Alternatively, it could refer to an implied matter/state (amr wa sha'n), where the verb and its implied subject explain the matter. The meaning would be: They almost failed to remain steadfast in following the Messenger (PBUH) during that expedition due to the severity of the hardship.

Second Inquiry (Recitation): Hamzah and Hafs (from 'Asim) recited {يزيغ} (yazīgh) with a Yā' due to the preceding verb form, while the rest recited {تزيغ} (tazīgh) with a Tā' to agree with the feminine plural qulūb. The recitation of 'Abdullah had: "after their hearts swerved" (zāghat).

Third Inquiry (Meaning of Kāda): Some scholars hold that kāda only implies proximity (nearness to happening). Others hold that it implies proximity without actual occurrence. If so, this mentioned repentance is repentance for that near-occurrence. They differed on what exactly occurred in their hearts:

• View A: Some of them, under that great distress, considered leaving the Messenger (PBUH), but they endured and sought reward. Therefore, Allah said: {ثم تاب عليهم} (Then He turned to them in forgiveness) because they persevered, remained steadfast, and regretted that minor inclination.
• View B: Others say it was merely idle talk or mental suggestion (hadīth al-nafs) that precedes a firm resolution. When the hardship afflicted them, this occurred in their hearts. Nevertheless, they rectified this minor matter out of fear that it might become a sin. Therefore, Allah said: {ثم تاب عليهم}.

Inquiry: Why is repentance mentioned at the beginning and the end of the verse?

Answers (Three Points):

1. Soothing Hearts First: Allah began by mentioning repentance before mentioning the sin to soothe their hearts. Then He mentioned the sin, followed immediately by mentioning repentance again, which serves to magnify their status.
2. Confirmation of Forgiveness: If a ruler says, "I have pardoned so-and-so," and then repeats, "I have pardoned him again," this indicates that the pardon is confirmed, reaching the utmost degree of perfection and strength. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Allah may forgive a Muslim's sin twenty times." This aligns with Ibn 'Abbas's interpretation of {ثم تاب عليهم} (Then He turned to them in forgiveness): meaning, Allah's satisfaction with them increased.
3. Severity of the Lapse: He said: "Allah has certainly turned to the Prophet, the Emigrants, and the Helpers who followed him in the Hour of Hardship." This sequence indicates that He initially pardoned them for the whispers that occurred in their hearts during the Hour of Hardship. Then, He added: {من بعد ما كاد يزيغ قلوب فريق منهم} (after the hearts of a party of them had almost swerved). This addition implies that strong whispers occurred. Consequently, Allah followed it up with mentioning repentance again so that no doubt remains in anyone's mind that they were held accountable for those whispers.

Regarding the phrase: {إنه بهم رؤوف رحيم} (for indeed, He is to them Kind, Merciful):

These are two attributes of Allah, whose meanings are close. It is likely that Ra'fah (Kindness/Compassion) refers to striving to remove harm, while Rahmah (Mercy) refers to striving to bring benefit. Alternatively, one attribute refers to past mercy, and the other to future mercy.

Verse 118: {وعلى الثلاثة الذين خلفوا حتى إذا ضاقت عليهم الأرض بما رحبت وضاق عليهم أنفسهم وظنوا أن لا ملجأ من الله إلا إليه ثم تاب عليهم ليتوبوا إن الله هو التواب الرحيم}

Translation: And [He also turned in forgiveness] to the three who were left behind until, when the earth constrained them despite its spaciousness, and their own souls constrained them, and they realized that there was no refuge from Allah except to Him, then He turned to them in forgiveness that they might [also] turn to Him in repentance. Indeed, Allah is the Accepter of Repentance, the Merciful.